Jaipur: Health department to conduct survey for water related diseases

JAIPUR: After identifying ten more districts with poor water quality in the state, the medical health and family welfare department has decided to conduct a survey to find out the health related problems people are facing due to the presence of fluoride in water.

Jaipur is one of the 10 districts where the department under the National Programme for Prevention & Control of Fluorosis (NPPCF) would conduct a door-to-door survey. Dungerpur, Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Pali, Jalore, Dausa, Churu, Sikar and Bikaner are the other nine districts where the water quality has raised concerns.

State NPPCF nodal officer Dr Ramavatar Jaiswal said, “Normally, people using such water have yellowish and weak teeth. Also, excess presence of fluorosis affects bones.”

He said with the groundwater level going down, the water quality gets affected. The presence of fluorides, nitrate and chlorides increases due to excess extraction of groundwater, he added.

“The person, who consumes water with fluorides, develops health related problems. But the most frightening part is that such ailments are all irreversible. The damage caused by fluoride cannot be repaired,” Dr Jaiswal.

Jaiswal said the officials from the state would be sent to Hyderabad’s National Institute of Nutrition to get training for the survey. The officials after returning would train auxiliary nurse midwife and anganwadi workers. The medical health and family welfare department’s trained staff would conduct the door-to-door survey in the ten districts. The official said that the teams would also offer treatment to the people with water related health problems.

Last year, health department had conducted a survey in the schools of Nagaur district which showed that 35% children had yellowish, sensitive and weak teeth, which is because of the presence of excessive fluoride in drinking water. The other districts which have already been identified with poor quality water are Bhilwara, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Rajsamand, and Tonk.